Humour. Humour is very important and the philosophy of humour is a very interesting topic but todayâ€™s post isnâ€™t about that, instead hereâ€™s a link to a site that will allow you to indulge yourself with a philosophical argument with none other than the great Socrates. Yep. Youâ€™ve got that right. If you wish to match your wits against Socrates then head on to The Socrates Argument Clinic.

A friendly reminder: If you donâ€™t win the argument youâ€™ll need to drink the hemlock but if you win Socrates will drink it for you. Of course it is really difficult to win against Socrates but there are some who have won.

If you wish to take more than the free argument clinic though youâ€™ll be disappointed since the link to the InterQuest homepage no longer works.

Have a good time arguing with Socrates!

Fear not those who argue but those who dodge. – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Knowledge is free but perking up your intellect can be done in many ways. Teachings picked up from classes or lectures will always be there but the method of delivering and interpreting them in a way so that an audience can properly understand and pick up the fine lines in them is another. In short, it takes a wise person to deliver the goods, opening the minds of listeners who are usually not that fast when it comes to understanding new terminologies and practices today.

This goes beyond business. It can cater to law, medicine or even environmental concerns. The main source of all knowledge are the books that we see, most of which we donâ€™t read from cover to cover. Not all people are made to read books and in these cases, it seems that the need for a mediator in the form of teachers or resource speakers enlighten the subject matter a whole lot more.

Many say that expediting such terminologies is a talent. But if you look at it, it just needs practice and a lot of self-confidence. An audience can fare well and understand topics of various areas if they see that the one preaching it knows it to the letter. Further, enhancing discussions to make it interesting in their eyes is another, a strategy that can perhaps teach many that expanding a certain subject matter can be done by first ensuring that your audience is indeed listening.

Lately I have been finding some free time on my hands. This generally means one thing for me â€“ I have time to read. I used to take my reading time for granted but not anymore. It is rare that I actually can sit back and relax with nothing but a good book. And speaking of good books, have you heard of The Book of Dead Philosophers?

At first glance, it may not sound like an exciting read but hey, look at that title again and you will certainly feel something like a thrill. The Book of Dead Philosophers. How much more interesting can that be?

I have not had the chance to get my hands on this book but trust me, Amazon is my next stop after this post. After reading Laura Millerâ€™s take on the book there is no other option. She shares some of the ideas to be found in the book:

According to Critchley, only the right kind of philosophy can teach “a readiness for death without which any conception of contentment, let alone happiness, is illusory.”

The universal truth of that assertion strikes me as debatable, as does much else in “The Book of Dead Philosophers,” but the link between philosophy and mortality is by necessity an intimate one. In philosophy, the human mind studies itself, and the same faculty that makes this study possible — our self-consciousness — also makes us aware of the inevitability of our own deaths in a way no other living creatures are. Philosophers, therefore, ought to be experts on the problem of how to die well. Since dying only happens once, and (if we’re lucky) it doesn’t take long, acquiring the skill of dying well might seem like a low priorityâ€¦

While some people might fear death, we just might find something that will help overcome this fear in the book. Interesting reading, to say the least.

Experimental philosophy is still a relatively new field of study, which started last 2000 when a group of students decided to apply experimental procedures used in psychology to philosophy. According to the Experimental Philosophy Societyâ€œexperimental philosophy involves the collection of empirical data to shed light on philosophical issues.â€ This empirical data is usually gathered through surveys wherein the participants are ordinary people. This is obviously a much different approach than the traditional analytical philosophy wherein philosophers based their arguments on premises they come up with. As can be expected, criticism regarding experimental philosophy abound.

Despite the resistance of many philosophers to experimental philosophy this emerging field in philosophy is also being welcomed quite warmly, not only among seasoned philosophers but among people from other field of studies. The reason for this is that due to the nature or experimental philosophy (data collection) those from related fields of study can contribute much. As the mission statement of the Experimental Philosophy Society states, â€œit is expected that the membership of the society will include faculty, students, and interested amateurs not only in philosophy but also in psychology, anthropology, sociology, law, and other related fields.â€

Right now areas of research in experimental philosophy include consciousness, cultural diversity, determinism and moral responsibility, and intentional action. For an updated list of research using experimental philosophy visit the X-Phi wiki. You can even add your paper, as long as it uses experimental philosophy of course.